In 1841, Yale College appointed Edward Elbridge Salisbury (1814-1901) as “Professor of Arabic & Sanscrit.” This was, at the time, the only position of its kind in North America, although Arabic had previously been taught at Yale and elsewhere. Salisbury’s appointment had much to do with American missionary and mercantile interest in the region now called the Middle East. This paper will argue that his appointment was critical to the rise of American Orientalism and the further development of U.S. interest in the academic study of the region—indeed, in the formation of the very basis of academic study upon which the Middle East Studies Association itself is founded. This paper proposes to shine a light on Salisbury’s legacy as it relates to the study of Arabic and Persian in the United States in the nineteenth century and beyond. The paper will examine the North American & European context for the appointment and its origins in American missionary aspirations (contemporary with the appearance of the first Arabic translation of the Bible, which was also highly influential in the nahdah, or renaissance, of Arabic literature). It will also examine Salisbury's contributions to the opening up of the study of Oriental languages & civilizations in the United States, how U.S. and European scholars contributed to the emerging discourse on the discipline of the study of Oriental languages, the rise of American Orientalism (in Salisbury’s well-documented support of the American Oriental Society), and the development of U.S. library collections in support of this study. Feedback from many mid-century Yale students indicates that this legacy is unknown to them—so finally, this paper proposes to highlight a legacy that is not well known even amongst its current beneficiaries!